Taken In The Night
by The Silent Rumble
Summary: The case hits home hard for Charlie and Don: Two brothers are missing, two brothers exactly like them. [complete]
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at a long-run Numb3rs story. I'm not perfect in grammar and spelling but I do try. This will be a crossover with Hardy Boys (think of them as a younger version of Don and Charlie, only they look different.)

If you have any questions just send me a message. I hope you read it even though it's a crossover.

Jason

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SUMMARY

Two terrified teenagers...

... One stumped math professor...

One terrified private eye...

…. And not much time left.

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It was a normal day for Don and Charlie – paperwork for Don; classes for Charlie – until their father got the phone call.

It was a friend of their father's. Fenton Hardy was his name. He had two teenage sons, Frank and Joe Hardy.

And they were missing. Alan was telling them this over dinner (which was fried rice and beans, about the only thing Charlie could make without take out.)

"How long have they been missing?"

"48 hours," Alan said. He chewed thoughtfully on his rice before talking again. "Don't get me wrong. They've gone missing before. A lot. Joe especially. And they're good kids, not into anything bad."

"So why are we getting called into this case – I mean, why do you want me to get my team involved? If they've been missing before, shouldn't they be able to rescue themselves or whatever?" Don asked. He pushed his plate away. He'd had beans and rice all week and wasn't really that hungry.

"It's a hard thing to explain," Alan said. He sighed and took a sip of his cola before answering the question.

"So, explain it," Charlie said. "Why is it so hard?"

"Well, it's one of his father's old friends."

"Wait, his father, as in Fenton's father?" Don asked, scratching his head.

"Yeah. One of his old friends from back in the day. So he'd be about sixty now"

"Sixty? How the hell do you kidnap a kid when you're sixty?" Don asked, taking a sip of his beer and placing it back on the table.

"And that's the problem," Alan said. "They aren't really sure if it's him. But they're almost positive it's him."

"How do they know?" Charlie asked, curious. He had the same question as Don.

"His DNA was left at the crime scene."

"Maybe he was a victim?" Don asked. He scratched his head in confusion. No wonder why they couldn't figure it out, this was confusing.

"His DNA was left at the crime scene in the letter ransom note. He left the ransomed note on the table and licked it."

"He licked it?" Charlie said. "How stupid is that?"

"That's what they can't figure out."

"What do they want?"

"Twenty thousand dollars." Alan took a deep breath and paused, as if getting ready to say more.

"Well why don't they just give them the twenty thousand? I mean to Fenton Hardy, from what you've said, twenty thousand dollars is probably like fish grinding their teeth."

"Fish grinding their teeth?" Charlie asked.

"It's a Japanese expression. It means almost nothing… I think."

"And they want Frank."

"Oh," they both said at once.

"Besides," Alan said, "This would be a great chance for you two to see Fenton again. You haven't seen him in some time, and neither have I?"

"Where do they live?" Don asked, getting out his cell phone to call his coworkers.

"Bayport, New York."

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It's probably not very realistic for this to happen, but hey, it's fan fiction, right? Let me know what you think, please.


	2. Chapter 2

I decided to get this up today. I glanced at my stats and noticed I had 90 hits and only 3 reviews. Please, if you read this, review, ok? I take all reviews! Thanks.

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"Bayport, New York," Charlie grumbled. He slouched back into his seat. "I hate New York."

He didn't like the city very much, but let's not forget to mention the last time he'd been there; he'd nearly been killed. He still remembered the time Don's co-workers were involved with a shoot out.

"I know, Charlie," Alan said. "But I promised Fenton we'd come down. Besides, Don has time off. If we need the other's help, we can ask, right?"

"Yeah," Don said. Actually, he was looking forward to seeing Fenton again. He was pretty nice.

"Oh well," Charlie said. "I'll make do. Do we know anything much about the case?"

"Not much. Fenton thinks the kidnappers are someone who got out of prison a while ago that he arrested. Someone called O'Mallan."

"What was he wanted for?" asked Don.

"Rape, murder, robbery, you name it, he did it," Alan answered. He sighed as he turned the steering wheel to the right. "Well, we're here."

Don glanced at the house and his jaw dropped. For a private investigator, Fenton apparently did pretty well. "Wow," Don said, glancing at the finely laid bricks.

"Yeah, he has it pretty well," Alan said as he got out of the car. "Now remember, his sons were just kidnapped, so be nice…" he started to give them a lecture but got interrupted by Charlie.

"Dad, we're not three," he grumbled.

"Good point. Sorry, I'm just a little worried about how Fenton is doing."

Fenton came out of the house as he heard the car pull in the driveway. "Alan!" he said, embracing his friend in a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," he said.

"Well, that's good," Alan said. "I hope you can find your kids. Speaking of kids, you've met Don, and this was Charlie."

"Where was I when you two met?" Charlie asked.

"You hate New York," Don said with a smile.

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With the boys…

"I can't believe it," Frank muttered.

"Three days!" Joe yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. "Three days! I mean can you believe it, three days."

"Yes, three days…" said Frank. "Three days missing. Did they call Dad again well I was out?"

"No," Joe said.

Frank sighed. "I figured. How long was I out?"

"Three hours," Joe said, frowning. "I think you got a concussion."

"You think? Since when did you become a medicine man?" Frank spat. He shifted himself up. "Yeah, I think you're right."

"They beat you with a belt," said Joe. "I think you're going to be hurting a little bit."

"Yeah," the kidnapper said, coming downstairs with a fireplace poker in his hand. "I think you're going to be hurting a lot."

_Stay tuned… _


	3. Chapter 3

Whew. I was afraid everyone would hate it. Just so you know, I don't hate New York. Charlie is claustrophobic of New York because the last time he was there he got shot.

Thanks for the reviews, and please continue to review. I promise this next chapter will be longer.

The Silent Rumble

For all disclaimers: See my profile, its on there.

On another side note, the shooting wasn't in the LA office. Anything you're confused about should be explained here. Except about Alan meeting Fenton. That'll be in a flashback on the next chapter.

Thanks to Roth for explaining some things to me.

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Joe was scared. Terrified. The man seemed to have no eyes._ It was as if he was blind_, Joe thought. _Maybe he was blind_?

The hopes quickly diminished when the man grabbed Frank, stepping through boxes, and yanked him by the arm. "Come upstairs," he growled.

"But I –" Frank said, glancing a helpless look at Joe.

"I said come upstairs, damn it! Didn't your father teach you how to obey orders?" he spat, yanking Frank's sleeve and nearly tearing it in half.

"Ouch! I'm coming," Frank said. His face showed his pained expression.

"Good," said the man, growling at nothing as he yanked Frank upstairs. "I have him." He shoved him on the floor.

The lead kidnapper, or at least he looked like the leader, smiled. "Good." He looked at Frank and said, "Do you quite realize who I am and why I want you?"

Frank shook his head. "No… n-no sir, I don't." It was a trick his father had taught him. Call the kidnappers sir; it'd catch them off guard. It seemed to work somewhat, but not enough for him to try running.

"I'm your older brother," he said sarcastically, yanking off his mask. "Want to know why I only want you?" he growled.

Frank paled in terror. He remembered the day very well. He'd caught his "older brother" lying. Laura had thought she had had a miscarriage, but had been led by this man to somehow believe that he was their son for some reason. Frank forgot what exactly. But he was very, very manipulative. The whole case hadn't made since to Frank, but his mother and father had been naive about it.

"But, you want to know something?" he asked, his breath hot on Frank's back, not waiting for him to answer. "I'm wanted for a lot more now. I broke out of prison. I'm wanted for murder. Rape. Blackmail. Theft. Arson. You name it; I've probably done it. And now I'll have Fenton's little baby boy, my accuser, with me for the rest of my life."

"Then why did you kidnap Joe? If you don't want him. To keep him," Frank asked.

"Oh, he's going back to Fenton Hardy," assured the man. "After watching you go through hell."

"Goody," Frank muttered.

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FOUR DAYS MISSING

Charlie shook his head and yawned. It was about 12:00 at night and everyone was tired. "I don't get it. What do you mean? Who is this guy?"

Fenton sighed. "A few years ago – twenty five to be exact -, Laura had a miscarriage. She apparently had it well sleeping or something. The guy told us he was our son… I should have remembered it before now. Damn it!" he kicked the wall and Charlie winced.

Don didn't even flinch. He was used to seeing betrayed families and hiding his emotion well. "What happened? How did you find out?"

"Well, we ordered a DNA test. He was upset, found the results before us and trashed them. He said we could just trust him but I felt it wasn't that way. Then Frank followed him one day after he left the pizzeria and caught him and his 'buddies' laughing about how they'd manipulated the Hardy family. They caught Frank eavesdropping."

"That would explain why they don't want Joe, just Frank. Frank betrayed them," Don said. "That would make since to a criminal's point of view."

"Yeah, it would. Damn it. I knew something looked familiar… Wait!" he rummaged through his papers and smiled. "Got it."

"Got what?" Don asked. He looked at the wall and glanced back at Fenton.

"The location of his current property," Fenton said a minute later.

"Why didn't you tell us that before?" Don said with a smile. "Let's go!"

"We don't know if he'll be there," Fenton reminded him as Don and Charlie got out of the car.

"Nope. But we can explore. Look around. For clues and stuff," Don said.

"Yeah, what's the word?" Charlie asked. "Investigate."

"Yeah, that's it."

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A few hours later

The man tossed Frank down to the floor and carefully cut his arm. Joe winced as his brother screamed in pain. He struggled to help him but couldn't break free of the men holding him.

"Let me go!" Joe screamed. His face turned a flush red color. Frank could tell he was upset about being held in that way.

"Shut him up," growled the kidnapper. "I can't concentrate."

"What are you trying to do, boss?" asked the first man who was holding Frank down asked.

"Carve my name into his arm," he said, making a "J" mark. Frank screamed and the second kidnapper shifted his weight.

Silently, the kidnapper made an "o" mark, seeming to take enjoyment from seeing Frank in pain. He made the H crookedly, and by the time he got to the N, Frank had stopped and silent tears streamed down his face.

"Now," John said, covering it up with a bandage, so it wouldn't get infected, "we have to leave."

"But –" Frank said. He knew if they left, it would be like covering up his last link to his parents.

"And Joe is staying. Staying here. To explain to Fenton why we only want his oldest child, not you."

Joe's jaw dropped to the ground. _What the hell was going on? _

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Next chapter will explain how Alan and Fenton met and a few flashbacks. Once again, thanks to Roth.


	4. Chapter 4

Eh, sorry… I've been having some problems figuring things out. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement.

Sorry I didn't get this up sooner, ff wouldn't let me upload.

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Fenton sighed. He was grateful that Alan and his boys had come over there to help. He remembered when he'd met the man. It was funny, actually. He'd met over a beer before his sons were ever born.

_Flashback_

"_Hi, I'm Alan," the slightly overweight man said._

"_Hi, Alan, I'm Fenton." That day, Fenton had been investigating a case involving the same bar. "So seen anything, well, funny going around here lately?"_

_Alan shrugged. "No, not that I can think of - just the usual, a couple of fights. Why?"\_

"_Because I'm investigating a case from here," he whispered quietly. Something told him that he could trust the man, and he usually trusted his gut instincts. "Someone is letting teenagers have beer and wine. And that's not all," he added._

"_Hmmm?" Alan asked._

"_Embezzlement."_

"_What's that?" Alan asked, totally confused. _

"_Well, I don't know if it'd be classified as 'embezzlement', but I've heard rumors that the owner wants to burn down the bar."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Fenton sighed. Alan had agreed to stake out the bar and had helped him catch a criminal. It was funny, because now Alan was helping him again, agreeing to lend his sons (Don and Charlie) to help him out. He was exited once he heard of Charlie's numbers.

LATER

They pulled into the driveway of the shabby-looking house. SWAT had gotten there 15 minutes ago and cleared out the house. "Well, did you find him?"

"Nope. Only a damn teenager," the swat manager cursed. He'd been after the man for a while.

"Damn teenager? Hey, that's my son!" Fenton rushed over to Joe, who was badly shaken.

"Dad!" Joe jumped off the pick up truck's back. It had been in the yard and he had been waiting there for the past ten minutes.

"Joe!" Fenton said, running to hug him.

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Don observed the scene. Joe was 17, Fenton had said. He had blonde hair and athletic build. He guessed his brother looked something like him and the boy's mother – what was her name? – Laura.

Charlie was exited. "Now we can get the data," he said, "and from Joe we can probably find Frank by tracing out the kidnapper's moves and –" Don tuned Charlie out. He was busy thinking of some things.

Like, why the hell would the kidnappers only ask for $20,000? That wasn't a lot of money. That was barely "grinding teeth" for the Hardy's. They probably could rob that in the family's television.

Suddenly, things started to click into place when he heard Joe explain something about Frank going through torture. The kidnappers had never wanted Joe; he had just gone along for the ride – unwillingly; they had kidnapped him and probably hadn't even wanted the ransom money – they had just wanted the revenge on Frank.

He paled when he thought of something and hurried to grab his cell phone out of the car. It was time he called David.

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"Ahhhh!" Frank yelled as the car swerved around another car. All he saw was blue seat outliner and all that he knew was that he was on his way to hellsville and his hands were tied.

"Shut him up," the driver grunted. "Can't think in this stupid mother cramping traffic!"

"Shut up!" the passenger in the back seat told Frank. He kicked Frank in the side to keep him quiet.

"Don't move a DARN muscle," he growled.

"Stop!" Frank shouted when the man lowered his knee on his leg. The man kicked him in the side and swore.

"Where's boss?" he asked, referring to John, Frank's "fake" older brother.

"Flying."

"Lucky SOB. He doesn't have to put up with this one."

"Well, I can't help it," the driver said, sounding pissed. "Just keep him shut up when we go through the toll booth, okay?"

"_Toll booth?"_ Frank thought. _Sounds like someone forgot to keep their mouth shut!_

A few minutes later, they pulled to the tollbooth and the lady asked the man for some change.

Frank knew it was risky, but at this point, risky was everything. It was now or never, and Frank was willing to take the dive.

---------------------------------------------------------Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Please review this one as well?


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I left you on a cliffhanger so long. I've pretty much blown off the last couple days because I found out I was moving to South Carolina I live near Ohio now. It's a big adjustment. Thanks for being patient.

A/N: I forgot to mention this earlier: The boys are 16 and 15 in this story.

A/N#2: Slight language

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_Take the dive, _Frank told himself, _take the dive! _He opened his mouth and let out a loud scream as the cab driver paid the attendant, glad that the man hadn't thought to gag him. Suddenly he felt a cold, hard hand cover his mouth.

The attendant glanced at the car. It matched the description of the kidnapping vehicle he'd seen a few days ago. "What's screaming?" he asked. To him, it had sounded human… and with several child abductions over the news, you could never be too careful.

"O! I'm so sorry, sir," he said. He blushed feverishly, and the attendant noticed he was sweating heavily. "I forgot about this," he said, blushing as he turned off a keychain.

"It sounds very much human being. Would you mind terribly if we pulled you over and searched the car, sir?" he asked. He sighed. Some days, he really hated his job…

"No, I wouldn't," the cab driver said. He pulled over and motioned for the other man to untie Frank's legs. "You better shut the fuck up, and if you say one damn thing, you'll be felling how pissed I am, and that attendant is history, you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes sir!" the man whispered in his ear as the attendant came closer to the vehicle, telling what he saw to the manager.

"Hi, I'm Jones," the manager said with a cheery fake smile. "I'm sorry, sir, about this, but there was a state-wide child abduction notified and we have to search all mysterious cars."

"Oh, it's no problem," the cab driver said airily, he had nothing to hide besides Frank, who was right out in the open.

Frank shivered nervously. He wanted to run and scream but he was terrified of the taxi cab driver. He wasn't sure why, either, the cab driver… had a gun.

Suddenly someone pulled him aside. It was the manager and he glanced briefly at the cab driver. "Did you scream?"

"N-no sir," Frank stuttered. He could feel the cab driver staring at him and it gave him the chills. _Could he trust this man enough – with his very life? _

"Are you sure? Here, why don't you come with me for a moment?" he asked kindly, walking Frank to a room and out of the kidnapper's sight. "So, what really happened?" he asked.

"I…" Frank paused. He was unsure if he could trust the man. He knew his "Big brother" had many friends around the state, and wasn't sure he could trust this man.

"What was going on in the car? The attendant said he heard a scream."

"H-he…" Frank didn't know quite what to call the cab driver … "H-he was playing a joke."

"I can tell that's not the truth," the man said. "What is the truth?"

Frank didn't know what to say. "I…." he opened his mouth but no words came out, so he tried again. "I…"

The manger waited patiently. Frank swallowed hard, realizing it was less of a risk of he could just trust the man.

"He kidnapped me," he finally said. He swallowed hard. "I don't know if you were … I don't know…"

Suddenly, the man threw his chair down angrily, causing Frank to jump. "I know," the man whispered. "I know he kidnapped you. I know because I'm with him: I'm his brother. He had a feeling you were going to try something, and asked me to test you. Now you must be punished."

Frank felt something hit his face and fingers crawl up his arms and into his shirt, but then nothing but the sweetness of blessed blackness.

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Joe started screaming. "Help! Stop! Get the bastard off me! Get him off me, get him off!" he struggled, fighting at seemingly no one.

"Joe! Joe, calm down!" Don said, trying to pin Joe's arms down. "Has he had anything to eat or drink?"

"Come to think of it, he refused to eat supper," Laura said. "I wondered about that…"

"Damn," Don growled. "He's hallucinating."

"GET HIM OFF ME!" Joe sobbed. "HE'S TOUCHING ME! GET HIM OFF ME!" he cursed a list of obscene words that made Laura's mouth drop open in shock.

"What happened, Joey?" she whispered. _What did that bastard do to you?_ She thought.

"What the hell happened to him?" Don asked, voicing her question out loud.

"He wouldn't talk…" Fenton said silently, coming upstairs and handing Don Joe's medication. "I can't believe I forgot to tell you. Joe sometimes has seizures, so he's on medication. I can't believe I forgot," he moaned.

"Seizures?" Laura demanded, her face bright crimson red. "No one told me Joe had seizures!"

"I'm sorry, Laura. It happened on a case the boys were on in New York…" he sat down and started explaining things to his wife. Charlie and Alan had come upstairs in the meantime, and Don shot them a look that said they needed to come downstairs so that they could talk.

"What's going on?" Alan asked.

"Family secrets, I guess. I woke up because I heard Joe screaming. He was screaming for the 'dirty bastard' to get off him. I don't know what went on in that room, Dad," Don said, indicating the room where Joe and Frank had been held prisoner. "But whatever it was, it wasn't pretty."

Fenton and Laura came down the stairs. Laura was visibly upset and Fenton had a pale face. Joe clambered behind them.

"Don, Charlie, Alan," Fenton said, giving himself a minute of silence, "we… we have something to tell you."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it took me so long to update. I started a new story, "You Are Never Alone," and I've written three chapters so now it's time to update this one again!

Here we go! Please review!

BE WARNED: THIS CHAPTER IS A LITTLE DARK.

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Frank shivered. The man had molested him, made him feel dirty and sick. He swore to god that he'd never tell anyone he didn't know that the cab driver had kidnapped him. That meant no attempts at escaping until he was sure he could be rescued.

He nearly puked when the cab driver put him in the trunk. The cab driver had whispered stupid stuff in his ear. He felt sick, too. Probably dehydrated (he hadn't had any water since he'd been taken and it had been nearly three days.)

Sure enough, when he swallowed, he realized that he was definitely dehydrated. _Great!_ He thought. _Not only am I sick, I'm dehydrated as well, and I'm probably going to get the flu! Can this day get any worse? _

Never ask "can the day get any worse," he reminded himself. It always would. As he bounced around in the trunk of the car, he wondered why they'd allowed him to sit up front in the first place.

Had it been to test him? He shivered at the thought. If he couldn't tell a simple toll-booth manager, he had to wonder, how far in advance they'd planned it out, how many cops they'd paid off, and where they were going.

He could only wonder.

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"What do you have to tell us?" Alan asked, shifting his wait nervously.

"Well, not us, really, Joe found a lead," Fenton said. Don could see the smile in his face that he was truly proud of his son.

"See?" Joe asked. He tossed down five pictures in front and Don spread them out, his face palling as he recognized each one.

The first man was Kale Manson, wanted for murder and manslaughter in the second degree.

The second man was Kylies White, a man wanted for assault and rape.

The third man was Danny White, wanted for murder and sexual assault.

The fourth man was Witty White, wanted for two accounts of attempted murder and attempted murder.

The fifth man was John White, Frank's "brother."

"They're all White… so?"

"Well," Joe said, "I did some checking… and, well, they're all brothers."

"And?" Don prompted, knowing there was more.

"And they all want revenge against the Hardy family."

"Dear god," Charlie muttered, rubbing his eyes. "You think they're all in it together?"

Fenton showed Don the note that had been sent by the kidnapper. "No," he corrected Charlie gently, "we _know_ they're all in it together."


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm updating. Sorry I took so long, but I had a little writer's block. Everyone knows that's always fun…._

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Frank awoke in a dark closet. Moving a little, he brushed against a coat that hung there. He turned the knob, only to find that it was locked. He sighed. He'd expected it, kind of. He felt along the floor – he was still untied – before finding a pin.

Actually, his hand had found it, and he yelped, but the kidnappers didn't come. He guessed he was okay, so he attempted to pick the lock. It wasn't long enough. He slid it under the door, though, so he wouldn't get poked again.

He sat down and sighed. Even in his sweater and heavy jeans, he was still cold. He knew it was air conditioned, speaking of which, why? It had been….

The door opened and there was a man staring at him, his mouth agape. "Who are you?"

Frank didn't answer, unsure how to answer this man's question, or if this man was another one of John's "spies". He knew the manager was one for sure – he'd heard him talking to John last night about how John owed him $500, and John paid him without question.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, shoving Frank back into the wall. "Do you hang out in coat closets for fun or something?"

Frank's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure what to say. He was in John's apartment, so this had to be a trap. He didn't answer the man and the man just sighed. "Whatever. You're probably with my bro and he probably put ya in the closet so I wouldn't see you."

Frank flinched. This man was John's brother – one of them…. He didn't know how many he had. Suddenly, the man's face lit up in recognition, and Frank's face paled.

"I know who you are!" he shouted and grabbed Frank. "I bet my brother was intending to take you and hold you for ransom for profit! Well, that ass, he can't do that without me, I'm his brother for God's sake!" he grabbed Frank in a strong grip and pulled him out the door, grabbing a gun and putting it against Frank's waist where it couldn't be seen.

"Come with me," he ordered. Frank groaned inwardly.

_I'm going to be kidnapped again,_ He thought sadly. He shook his head and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his right arm as John's "brother" dragged him out of the apartment.

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_Ten days missing _

It had been ten days since Frank had been missing. Don's team had come down from L.A., but was making no progress. Each of the members – David, Megan and Colby – were staying in the Hardy's house as well.

True, it was harder to work, not being in their office with their equipment, but they had their computers, Fenton's laptop and Fenton's files. Joe was sitting, going through files as well, and he was quiet (an event, which, Fenton assured Don, didn't happen very often.)

"Hey," Megan said. "I found something."

Don, Colby and David gathered around her. "He purchased a hotel room at 9:59 six days ago…."

Joe glanced up. "That's the same time he let me go," he said, glancing at the document. "If he was a normal criminal, he wouldn't dare purchase a hotel room so quickly and closely… So he had to know someone there," Joe said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. If he knew someone in a run-down motel, who knew how many people he'd talked too…

"What are the chances he's still there?" Colby muttered.

"Actually, statistically, there's a pretty good chance –" Charlie started, but Colby held up his hand and groaned.

"Don't answer that," he muttered. "Let's check it out."

Joe jumped off the chair. "I'm coming with you."

"No, it could be dangerous," Don said. "He already has your brother – what makes you think he won't grab you if he gets the chance?"

Joe's face blushed red for an instant, and then it passed. "Because I believed him," he said. "He doesn't want revenge on me. Just Frank."

"You can't come with us, Joe. You're not an FBI agent."

"But Charlie's going, and he's not an FBI agent," Joe protested.

Charlie glared at him. "I'm going because I need to calculate the ---" Don put up his hand and looked at Joe.

"You and Charlie can both come," he said, "but you need to wait in the car until the hotel is cleared. Understood?"

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"You don't understand!" The manager told Don. "I'm trying to run a business here, not a sleepover party – you can't just bust in and search all the rooms without a warrant!"

"We have a warrant!" Don yelled, slamming the paper down in front of him. "We're not looking to search all of your guest's rooms. Just one in particular…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Don saw someone, looking scared. Jeans and a white sweater – wasn't that what Frank was wearing when he went missing? --- and the guy with him stood entirely too close.

"Excuse me, sir –" Don said, grabbing his picture of Frank as he walked over to the man. A few steps before he got there, he stopped.

The guy's face was entirely too calm, and Don could tell the kid was scared. He didn't like what he was seeing. Grabbing his walkie-talkie, he whispered to Megan, "Megan, get me SWAT now."


	8. Chapter 8

Here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, please continue on to do so. It'd be nice to have even _half_ the hits review, if you don't mind! It only takes three seconds to type "please update." Hahaha, I counted. Ok, ok. On with the story.

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A/N: There'll be a little bit of Spanish in this chapter (will be translated at the end of the chapter.)

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Frank paused as he glanced at the man. FBI was written on his vest, a gun was at his hip… _if only, _he thought.

His hopes were quickly diminished. "Don't say anything. Act like you don't know what they're talking about," he ordered, jabbing the gun to close to Frank's side.

Don approached the man with caution, seeing something metal flashing on his belt. "Hello, sir. How are you doing today?"

"No hablo inglés," the man said, glancing at Don, almost as if he were pleading with the man to understand.

Frank shivered as he heard the Spanish. He didn't understand any of it and didn't know what to do. He didn't even know if he could trust this man, the FBI man, or if this was just another set-up.

"Cómo eres que hace hoy?" Don asked him. He was lucky he'd learned his Spanish from Charlie on a case. He'd taken French in high school, and was now fluent in both languages.

"Muy bien, sir," he said. He nudged Frank to keep him quiet.

Frank shivered, despite the fact that the hotel was heated and he was wearing a white sweater and thick jeans. His father had always told him he could trust the FBI, but now he wasn't sure.

Don glanced at his watch. SWAT should be there any minute now. "Sir," he said, then cursed to himself, remembering he couldn't speak English, said, "Sir, importarías de si hablé a tu hijo solamente por un momento?"

He shook his head, and Frank nervously stood next to the name. Don turned his back, and the man whispered something to him.

Frank walked with the man, nervous because his Spanish was poor and he didn't know what to do, or if he could trust the man.

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Don and Frank sat down in the corner of the room. "So, what's your name, son?" he asked.

Frank's eyes darted nervously to the ceiling, then back down. He sat on the chair in the lobby of the living room. At least 50 FBI agents milled around.

"I…" he paused. He didn't trust him. He decided to go with the story John's brother had said. "I'm Justin…" he said.

"OK, Justin. What are you doing here? Having some fun?" he asked calmly.

Frank glanced at the ceiling. "I-I…" he paused. "We were here on a…" he didn't say anything. He wanted to trust this man so badly,

"How come the man with you doesn't speak any English?" Don asked.

"Uh…" Frank was at loss for words. Finally, he said, "C-can we go in a r-room please?"

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Joe sat in the car next to Charlie. "Why the FBI agents get to have all the fun is beyond me. They should send in the normal citizens first, and have them stalk out the hotel."

"You mean _stake_," Charlie said. "And if it was up to me, you'd better believe I'd be flying in there, but it's not up to me. My hands are tied."

"I know!" Joe banged the window. Luckily, it was made of solid glass and didn't break. Charlie grabbed Joe's hand. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Suddenly, there was a few gunshot sounds and Joe grabbed the door handle. "Going in to see what's going on!"

"But –" Charlie said. _What the hell, come on, you're interested too, _a voice told him. Grabbing the door, the two darted inside.

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No hablo ingles – I don't speak English

Cómo eres que hace hoy. – Hello, how are you doing today?

Muy bien, sir – Very well sir.

Sir, importarías de si hablé a tu hijo solamente por un momento – Sir, may I please speak to your son alone for a minute?

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Yes, I'm pretty fluent in Spanish… I make a few mistakes here and there, but hopefully this chapter was an easy read.

Leído por favor y revisión. Las llamas serán utilizadas para asar marshmallows!

(Please read and review. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.)

Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for all the reviews. I'm updating – would've had it up sooner but family problems got in the way. That, and Don was being mean to Frank yesterday, so I had to start over. Thanks for the reviews.

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_Inside the hotel…_

"Augh!" Don cried, going down, grabbing at his leg. He'd been shot. Suddenly, the boy in the sweater loomed over him, and the manager growled, placing a knife to the boy's throat. Don stared at the manager in shock, and suddenly, things started making since.

The manager _was a known felon._ Things had just – they had just clicked. How had he not noticed that before? He was a known felon, for Christ's sake! How the hell did he get a manager's license?

The man clutched the knife to Frank's throat and the kid looked terrified. "Nobody move!" the man shouted, backing away from Don, but not before kicking Don's gun out of the way.

Frank was terrified. He didn't know the manager was involved (although he guessed he was.) What was the _manager_ doing involved? He wondered if he could get free and get to the FBI agent, if he could trust the FBI agent.

Suddenly, he was taken to the ally behind the motel. Twelve dozen police cars were set up and then he noticed something creeping in the shadows, quiet possibly the most blessed sight he had ever seen.

His brother. His brother was here. He could trust his brother. And his brother was coming to get him.

He just didn't like the looks of the man next to him.

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Charlie stopped when he saw the Joe staring at a man. "What are you looking at, Joe?" he asked curiously. He looked, but couldn't really see anything unusual. Just two men, one whispering something, it looked like.

Joe glanced over at a man who was talking to someone that looked like his brother. "Him. He looks like my brother," he said. He sank down on a seat. "I never should've got out of the car – Frank's always yelling at me for stuff like that."

"Joe!" came Frank's voice.

"_Frank!_" Joe called.

"Shit!" came someone's voice. Joe guessed it was the man who was holding Frank hostage.

"You're the other Hardy boy!" the man guessed, turning around. Joe flinched but didn't say anything. Charlie grabbed the cell phone out of his pocket and crept behind the car, dialing Don's number.

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Don's cell phone rang and he reached for it. The man who had been near "Justin" was long gone. "Hello?" he asked.

"Don, we need help out here. It's Frank. We've found him – well, Joe has. He's being held hostage by someone, and I think that someone's going to kidnap Joe!"

"Ok, Charlie. Calm down. Isn't Joe in the car?" Don asked.

"No, we heard a gunshot, and Joe and I went inside."

Don let out a string of curse words, including a few Charlie hadn't heard before. "Don –" he said, but was stopped.

"I told you to stay in the car! Was one command so fucking hard!" he yelled.

"I just followed Joe's lead," Charlie protested.

"The kid is fifteen years old, and you're following his lead? For Christ's sake, Charlie!"

"What was I supposed to do, let him have all the fun? Well we're fighting, the guy's going to get away with the Hardy boys!"

Don swore. "My leg – I got shot in my leg, Charlie. I have to bandage it up and I'll be right out."

"You got shot in your leg? But –" Charlie stopped, realizing there was a gun pointed at his face.

"Drop the phone," the voice said angrily. "Who knows what damage you've already caused? Drop the phone and come with me."

Upon hearing this, Charlie "dropped" the phone, and then held up his hands in surrender. "Where is Frank Hardy?"

"In my car. Let's go," the man snapped, pulling Charlie's arm down and dragging him to the nearby police car, shoving him into the back.

It took the man a few seconds to hotwire the car before speeding away with Joe, Charlie, and Frank inside.

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_Fenton and Laura…._

"I can't believe it!" Fenton yelled at Don. "You had him, your team has pictures of him, and he was really close, was he not?"

"Relax," Alan snapped at Fenton. "We're all doing the best we can. MY son is missing too now, so it's not _just_ you!"

""I'm sorry," Fenton said. "I'm just upset."

Don calmed down. "That's understandable. I'm upset too." _My brother is missing as well_, he added silently, looking at the boy's father for the first time. At forty-five, he was fifteen years older then Charlie, twelve years older then Don.

Alan cleared his throat. "Perhaps, it's best if we all get some rest. Fenton, have you had any sleep since your sons have been missing?"

"About three hours," he replied straightforwardly. "But –" he said.

"Don't 'But Alan' me!" he said. "Time to come and get some rest, Fenton. You're no good wearing yourself out like that. You too, Don."

Don closed his eyes briefly and crossed his fingers over the necklace Charlie had gotten him for Christmas. He'd taken it off before the chase, and now looked at the words.

The words read, _I'll never be without you._

Don shuddered as he looked at the words. He'd broken Charlie's promise.

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_please read and reivew_


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for all the reviews. Please read and review again!

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Don tossed and turned in his sleep. He couldn't sleep well and the fact that Charlie – his own brother – was in the hands of that – that – manager made him want to cry. He had been talking to the manager for a good twenty minutes and he didn't realize he was a wanted felon. A wanted felon! How could he not notice it was a wanted felon! He was FBI agent, for god's sake! That mistake had cost him drastically, and, what's worse, was he couldn't do anything about it.

Maybe his dad was right. He'd barely got any sleep since he and his team (who, by the way, were sprawled out all over the floor), and shuddered. If he'd recognized it sooner, Charlie wouldn't be missing, Frank wouldn't be missing, Joe wouldn't be missing. He wondered why Frank didn't just come out and tell him about the kidnapping. He supposed the man could have bought some people off to keep Frank on his toes, but doubted it was likely. He sighed. Maybe Frank didn't trust the FBI (although Fenton said he did…)

He sighed as he grabbed his blanket. His father was sleeping on the couch, Megan on the guest bed for the night, and he, Colby, and David were on the floor. He winced as he walked to the icemaker and stared at a picture on the wall. The picture showed Frank, Joe, and Laura, all very happy. He guessed Fenton was either taking the picture, or wasn't there.

He got himself a glass of water and glanced at the clock. 2:10 A.M. He couldn't sleep. Suddenly, he thought about something and glanced at his laptop. Quietly booting it up, he realized they'd been very wrong about something.

Very, very wrong.

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"Come on, you bitch," the man said, shoving Charlie against the wall. He'd left Frank and Joe in the police car to be dealt with by his other henchmen. "I know you know what I'm thinking of, my boy," he said. "I know you know that I want you to work for me."

Charlie shuddered and glanced at the man's hand. It was rough and callous. He wondered if he was ever going to get out of this hellhole he was in at the moment.

The man threw him against another wall and left him there, shutting the door as he left. Charlie didn't hear a lock click, so he tried the doorknob, but it didn't work. He cursed angrily to himself, wondering why he'd thought it would work (when he was sure he was in the hands of professional criminals).

Grinning, he picked up his cell phone out of his pocket (he'd dropped something else on the ground to conceal the sound of his cell phone – a move Don had toaught him when he'd joined the FBI.)

He picked up his phone and opened it, cursing as he realized a very nice fact:

He had no service.

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"I don' wann' go with u!" Joe shouted, flinging himself against the wall, struggling boldy to get out of the man's sturdy grasp. "I don' wann' go with you!" he shouted. Not that it mattered; there was no one around anyway. He just had to get free – he had to let his father know where they were, free Frank and Charlie…. Suddenly, the man grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"Stop it, kid!" The man said, squiggling quickly to get Joe into handcuffs. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Getting away from you!" Joe called. "I thought you people didn't want me."

"Maybe my brother didn't, but I do. So shut the heck up and stand against the wall!" he said, pointing the gun against Joe's stomach.

"Okay, okay!" Joe said terrified.

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Frank was left alone in the police car, wondering what to do next. He'd tried the handles, but realized quickly that the doors were locked. He'd then tried the bars, but realized that they weren't going anywhere. He wished there were easier ways to break out of police cars.

He groaned. It was _hot_ in here! It had to be at least 75 degrees – hot for fall, of course – and he was wearing a thick sweater.

He knew Charlie and Joe weren't so lucky and hoped they weren't freezing. He was burning up, though.

He shuddered to think what could be happening to them in there as he heard a scream. A very, very loud scream, and then a gunshot.

The scream that followed was undoubtedly Joe's.

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Fenton shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs as he got out of bed. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was two thirty in the morning. He couldn't sleep, no matter what Alan had said. The man was snoring on the couch. Fenton chuckled to himself. Alan wasn't as young as he used to be, he thought.

"Hey," he said, seeing someone in the kitchen. The figure jumped, and Fenton saw his face. "Hey, Don. What's the matter?"'

"I've found something I need to show you," Don said, going back to the other page. "It could affect – and change – everyone's life drastically, and I bet you bottom dollar they'll do anything to keep it hidden."

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	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for my reviews. Here's the next chapter, as promised. I think I have my timetable right, but if I don't, could ya let me know? Thanks.

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_Later (two days missing, Joe and Charlie, twelve days missing, Frank)_

"I don't want to work for him, but I don't want him to hurt you guys," Charlie said.

"What does he want done?" Joe asked.

"Simple decoding work. Nothing special, but… well, it is kind of special, but I can't really talk about it. It's about Don's case."

"I didn't know FBI cases were marked confidential," Joe said. "Usually they're on the news."

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. It's something about Don's case – he's definitely been working on it a while, about two months. I don't see what that could have to do with you guys, but he's saying it's confidential and won't let me work on it."

"Not confidential, then," Joe said. "Personal."

The cell door clanged open and Frank was tossed in the room. "What happened to you?" Joe asked worriedly.

Frank opened his eyes and groaned. "I mouthed off," he admitted.

Joe chuckled humorously. "That's my job, bro," he said. "What did you do? You must've said something pretty upset."

Frank glanced at the ground as the cell door clanged shut. "I told them Dad would find them and that they should go to hell."

"Whoops," Joe muttered under his breath. _Mental note to self, _he thought, _do not tick these guys off_! "What did they do to you?" he asked.

"Beat me with a tube pipe. Said I had to get the 'ridiculous ideas' out of my head, that I wasn't going home, and that I was adopted."

"Adopted?" Charlie's mouth dropped open. "Fenton didn't mention anything about that."

Frank nodded, trying to sit up. "I never knew," he said, uncertainty evident in his features. "What if I am adopted? What if I really am that guy's kid, like he says?"

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Fenton gasped. "Oh, my god," he muttered. He started pacing around on the kitchen. "Laura and I have been hiding this for sixteen years, from the boys – ever since we adopted Frank – oh, my god. Oh, my god…." He muttered, letting his voice trail off.

"Why is this so bad, that Frank's adopted? It's written here as you want to keep it hidden…"

Fenton raised his eyebrows at this. "Why were you on my laptop?"

"Sorry, looks just like Charlie's," replied Don. He hadn't realized the laptop was Fenton's. Some trained FBI agent he was! He couldn't even tell whose laptop were whose – whoops!

Fenton sighed. "It needed to come out anyway," he said.

"So, does your wife know your son is the son of an international terrorist?" Don asked, watching Fenton's mouth drop open.

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LATER THAT DAY

Laura was pacing the room in shock. "We figured the manager wanted Frank because he was in the way and was in that dude's apartment. I never would have guessed –how did you figure that out?"

"I did some digging," Don blushed. "FBI agents can get into some classified files, and I know Charlie's password."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Fenton asked suspiciously.

Don blushed again. "He has slightly higher clearance then I do. I didn't use it, honest," he added.

Fenton sighed as his wife sat on the couch. "I never realized why…. Or how…. I'm stupid!" he slammed. "But then again, how was I to know he was the son of an international terrorist?"

Then sat down and thought about something. "Don, exactly how do you know Frank is the son of an international terrorist, and not the son of someone who was just a nobody?"

_Stay tuned. Please R&R!_


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews! I think about four-five more chapters and it should be done…

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"What am I thinking?" Charlie smacked himself in the face and groaned, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket. He opened it and cursed. "No signal," he said.

"Does it have texting?" Joe asked, snatching the phone out of Charlie's hand. He fiddled around with the phone and threw it against the wall when he realized it didn't. "Darn," he said with a shrug. "They didn't search you?" he asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I guess not," he said. "Do either of you have anything?"

Frank shook his head. "He searched me when I tried to get help near the tool booth thing. I haven't tried since…" he shuddered, remembering what had happened and what the man had said.

Joe shrugged. "Normally Frank's the one carrying the pocket knife."

Frank snickered at that remark. "Yeah, but you got in trouble for it." He changed the subject. "So, are you going to do what they want you too?"

Charlie sighed. "I really don't know… I don't care what they do to me, but if they hurt you guys…" he let his voice trail off.

"Do you think it's major?" Joe asked.

Charlie nodded. "From what Don said about his current case, it could hurt – and effect – millions of people."

"Then don't do it, no matter what they do to us," Frank said with a shiver. "Hopefully, they won't think of that angle…"

His hopes were crushed when someone came into the room. "Well, Charles, have you made up your mind?"

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"His birth recorded says so. We've been searching for him for twelve years," Don said.

Laura sank down into her chair. "So you're saying for the first four years after Frank's birth he was a dazzling person?" she asked.

"Yeah, very clean." Don said. "But then he got into some stuff and he's been on our radar… I think that was one of the first cases we couldn't solve. Just one thing: If he was clean for the first four years, why not keep his kid?"

"His wife didn't want one," Laura said. "At least, that's what we were told at the time of the adoption."

"Megan, Colby – let's go to the adoption center and see what's going on with this. I think we haven't been told the whole truth."

"We told you everything we knew," Fenton said.

"I understand that," Don said. "I think you were lied to. Let's go."

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Charlie nodded his head after glancing at Frank and Joe. "I'm not helping," he said.

The man closed his eyes and mentally counted to ten. "Alright, then. Who's first? Frank, or Joe?"

Charlie opened his mouth but then shut it when Frank said, "I'll go."

"OK then," the man said, grabbing Frank by the arm and pulling him into another room after clanging the door shut.

After a few minutes of silence, all they could here were Frank's screams…

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Don groaned in the car. "Why didn't Fenton just come out and tell us?" Megan asked.

"That I don't understand. He seems like a great guy – but why wouldn't he tell his kid he was adopted?"

"Guess he didn't want his kid to know he was the son of an international terrorist," Don said. "Is this the place?"

"No – I think it's next door," Megan replied.

"I can't tell…" Don muttered. "Hey, who's this?" he asked, peering outside.

"That's not good…" Colby muttered. "Isn't that the one Fenton called John?"

"Uh-oh…" Don muttered. "Colby, call for backup. Megan, let's run!"

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_TBC…_


	13. Chapter 13

Here we go. A couple more chapters should do that. (Seems like I say that every chapter, huh?)  
Thanks for the reviews! Please read and review some more!  
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"Get him!" Colby called, panting as he ran. He hated running dressed like this – he could run anywhere, anytime – but this annoyed him to no end. Suits were made for sitting and talking to people in, not chasing people in. He'd already destroyed three this way.

Cursing, he grasped his phone as he ran. Seeing Don behind him, he hollered, "Megan's calling for backup, right?"

"Yeah. It's too bad the Hardy's aren't here!" Don yelled, panting. Usually, they didn't talk when they were chasing the suspect, but he was making an exception. "I bet they know this place like the back of there hand."

The man's legs flew faster then either Colby's or Don's. They could both tell he was trained to run at any moment or time, from the sheer amount of speed he'd picked up on a moment's notice. Suddenly, a huge fence came into view. The man leapt up and started to climb.

Colby followed. "We need a map of the neighborhood," he groaned to himself as he chased the man.

Don was slightly faster – he was more used to running in suits, a few too many times of having conferences with Charlie had proved that – and he tackled the man. Colby pulled out his handcuffs and read him his rights.

"I didn't do anything!" the man protested, struggling to get out of his handcuffs. He kicked out at everything nearby, and Colby radioed for Megan that they'd caught the guy. He was much more used to his own radio set and backup.

"What's that blood on your hand?" Don asked, pointing at the man's wrist. He figured the man had gotten into a fight or had gotten injured running away from Colby and himself, but it couldn't hurt.

"I cut my hand on the fence," the man lied. Don studied his face. He definitely looked like John, and Don would bet everything he had that the man was not telling the whole truth. His hands, even though they were in handcuffs, were shaking badly.

"Why were you running from us? We have you on resisting arrest, right here. You should have just talked to us," Colby said, understanding what game Don was playing.

The man screamed curses into the air. Several people turned to stare at them, then quickly hurried away. One looked for a few minutes, and then stopped when he noticed Don staring at him.

The man muttered something under his breath, then said, "I am sorry, Ma-He-Keck, that I did not fulfill my duties."

With that, he fell to the ground, shocking both Don and Colby.

Then, well they were still in shock over him fainting, he took off and ran away – with his handcuffs still on!

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"Stop!" Joe yelled, banging his hands against the wall. "Stop! You're hurting my brother!"

Charlie grabbed his hand before he could injure it. "Joe, Frank –" he stopped when he saw the look of anger on the man's face, deciding he didn't want to get in his way.

"I know Frank volunteered – I heard him myself… that doesn't mean he should suffer," Joe said, shivering. Charlie offered him his coat. It was freezing in the room, but Charlie was barely cold.

Joe accepted the sweater-like coat without question. "Thanks," he said. "I just can't handle my brother being tortured…"

"You think I like knowing that I can stop this?" Another one of Frank's screams echoed the corroder and Joe buried his face in his hands.

Charlie placed his hand on Joe's back. "Joe, I am so sorry," he said. "So very, very sorry…"

There was one final, earth-shattering scream from Frank, and then silence.

Was it better to hear your brother's screams… and know he was still alive… or to hear nothing at all… and to think he was… dead?

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Sorry for the shortness. Please R&R anyway. I think instead of a sequel, I'm going to make another crossover, done under a beta, so it's better. Thanks for everyone's kind words so far. The last sentence is borrowed from a friend's fan fiction.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for all the reviews… please continue to review… I was going to update tomorrow but SOMEONE wouldn't leave me alone. So here you go. The fan fiction book Runaway gave one of these ideas to meThanks, Dr. L!

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_Please be okay, Frank. Please be okay. Please, please be okay. Please! _Joe thought. He turned to Charlie. "How could you do this to my brother?" he cried.

"ME?" Charlie demanded. "What did I do to your brother?"

"You made that man torture him!" Joe said, slamming the cell door in his anger. "This is all your fault! If you weren't a genius, none of this would have happened!"

Charlie backed away from Joe. "Your brother_ volunteered, _just like mine is looking for us right now – would you like me to call him and yank him off the case?"

"Call him and rescue us, not yank him off the case! Besides, the damn thing doesn't work anyway," Joe said angrily. He then sighed, and glanced at Charlie's face. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just… scared…"

Charlie sighed and glanced down at the ground. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll do it." He banged on the cell door and yelled, "Stop! Please! I'll do it!"

"No, Charlie!" Joe said, tugging on Charlie's shirt. "I didn't mean it that way – don't do it, please don't do it!" he demanded.

"Listen," Charlie said, bending down to Joe, "I have a plan that might get us out of here. I'm not sure, but if I can get a computer…" he whispered, then saw the man coming and straitened.

The man single-handedly tossed Frank into the cell and grabbed Charlie's arm. Joe could tell the man had been working out, and that there had been no messing with him. He raced over to Frank and gasped when he saw the bruises.

_Good Lord, Frank… What the hell did they do to you? _He wondered.

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"Stop that man!" Colby yelled, chasing after the man. He couldn't believe the nerve of this idiot. _Why_ hadn't they read him his rights in the car? He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

"Hey, Don, this is funny," he yelled over his breath.

"Yeah, Colby. I love chasing idiots with handcuffs on!" called Don, panting as his tie flew in the wind, hitting him in the face a few times.

The man was fast, but the handcuffs hindered him and Don was able to tackle him quickly. This time, Don held him well Colby ran to get the car. Don groaned. Would they ever be able to find Charlie?

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"Frank's been missing a long time, Fenton," Laura said, her eyes filled with tears. She was unaware that Alan was listening from the doorway, unsure whether he should interrupt and inquire the use of the phone. He decided to stay put.

"I know, honey. But Alan's son and friends are good. They'll find him." Fenton hugged his wife and Alan almost felt that he were intruding on a private moment, but his feet wouldn't move and he decided to just stay and hope they wouldn't look this way.

"It's been fifteen days, Fenton. If they're good, they would have found him by now!" Laura said, frantic. She wanted her boys back, and she wanted them back _now_. She felt like one of them was in some kind of deep trouble, more then the other. She'd never felt this way before, but guessed she could call it motherly instinct.

"Laura, you must understand," Fenton said calmly, "That no one is quick in this business. Even if we _did_ know where Frank is, we might not be able to pull him out because it was dangerous." As soon as he said that, he realized his mistake.

"Are you saying you know where Frank is?" Laura gasped breathlessly. She collapsed her hands together. "Please, Fenton – tell me where Frank is. Tell me where Joe is. Tell me where my boys are. I want them home, Fenton!"

"Well, I have a lead…" Fenton admitted. Alan nearly gasped himself. Fenton was withholding information from the agents! "I don't want to tell them yet, but I think I might know where Frank is."

"You should tell them, Fenton. After all, you said they're some of the best!" Laura protested. Her sweater was thrown to the floor in anger. Alan hid behind the kitchen wall, hoping Laura wouldn't walk his way.

"I know, Laura – but they'll want to yank Charlie out right away, and they should – but it's dangerous," Fenton replied. "We can bring down the whole operation if we just wait, and that's why I don't want to bring them out now – they'd only be in a lot more danger." He didn't know how he could stress this too her, other then harshly. He just hoped she wouldn't tell Alan or his son. They _couldn't_ pull the boys out now!

"It's dangerous with our boys being missing, Fenton." Laura's footsteps sounded, and before they could find him, Alan took off to his bedroom running. He had to find a telephone – or where he'd left his. He had a phone call to make!

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Joe checked Frank over for his bruises. He had to many for a sixteen-year-old boy. Joe could tell without moving anything he'd been burned and stabbed. No wonder why he was screaming… he had to wake Frank up, though.

"Frank!" he screamed. "Frank, wake up, please!" he called.

"Tired…" Frank moaned, laying his head on the ground. "I need to go to sleep. I'm too tired, Joe – I don't think I can stay awake." His brother's words were slurred and Joe hoped he didn't have a serious head injury.

"No, Frank – what are you always telling me in the mornings before school?" Joe asked.

"To 'wakey wakey'," Frank said with a grimace. He sighed. "I'm not wakey wakey Joe – I'm tired."

"I was tired then, too!" Joe said. "So this is payback – you need to stay awake, please – don't fall asleep!"

"So tired…" Frank gasped. "I'm going to sleep now…" with that he promptly fell asleep and Joe sighed. He didn't know if Frank needed to stay awake or not, but he knew he needed to check every little while and make sure he didn't go into shock.

"Hey, kid!" the man guarding the door called, opening it with a lock. "The boss wants you. Apparently, he thinks Charlie's going to try something funny. And guess what? You're the reason why Charlie _isn't_ going to try something funny."

"Joys," Joe muttered. "Joys."

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TBC…

A/N: I'm trying to make Fenton look slightly dirty because in most fan fics he's spotless… So, here goes my attempt… please review! I take unsigned reviews as well.


	15. Chapter 15

TITN – CH14

Thanks for all the reviews I got; they make my day. Please continue to review. –Jason

I'm able to put this up only because school was canceled for teacher's conference. Yes! Although I'm sure Charlie and Joe won't be appreciative…

If you see anything like a (1) through the story, that's an author's note.

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"You going to try something funny, Charlie?" the captor asked him, staring dead strait at him. Charlie nearly flinched at the man's death glare. He had never been kidnapped before and he was scared to death. He glanced after at Joe, who gave him sort of an underhand motion, saying, "Go for it."

Joe, on the other hand, was terrified. He'd been kidnapped a thousand times before, but he'd never met Charlie. He knew Charlie was Don's brother, but what if something went wrong?

Charlie just winked at Joe. Joe's captor, thankfully, had been looking at the boss and not gotten to see it. Joe smiled, but that quickly turned into angry eyes as his captor slammed him against the wall and made a huge cut on his arm. "Don't talk," he ordered. "Say one thing, and we go bury your brother."

_You can't do that! _ "You – he's alive – you can't bury him – that's murder – a felony –" he gasped. _No!_ His brother was rarely terrified of anything, but the dark terrified him. He barely synced when Charlie started working. He was only aware of his brother's terrifying fear: The dark. When he was just five, they'd had a babysitter who offered to baby-sit for Fenton and Laura, but had locked the kids in the closet for the whole evening, well torturing one brother or the other. Joe shuddered at the memory. _What a memory to pick up at a time like this_!

"Stay still, brat!" the man said as he tightened the knife at Joe's throat. Joe could only watch and wait and watch as Charlie decrypted the data.

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Frank's eye's blinked open into an empty darkness. He moaned. He was terrified of the dark. He glanced at the window and limped to his feet as he checked the jail guards. They were evidently somewhere else and wouldn't be bothering him.

He smiled. He tested the door bolt and frowned. It was deadlocked. _Great, _he thought to himself.

He turned his attention to the window and looked outside. It was dark, but there was some sort of street lamp outside the building. – which could possibly mean they were in some sort of "lighted" area – possibly in public.

He knew what he had to do. He had to get help: Now.

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"Don't hurt him!" Charlie said as he heard Joe screaming. One of the men (who was wearing black jeans and a blue sweater), just forced Charlie on the ground. He looked him on the ground. "Don't you dare try and cheat us out of something, freak-show," he said. He growled and kicked Charlie in the side.

"Hey… wait a second," said one of the men. "What are we thinking? Charlie here knows how to pull tricks and stuff. All we really need is someone to type this up and decode it. Maybe Joe could type it up, so we don't have to risk Charlie pissing me off."

"Good idea, Gwen, but Joe can't type worth squat…." One of the lower men said.

Upon hearing this, Gwen glared. "I told you not to use names! Now the brat knows my name! I was offering a suggestion to Leader!"

The one who had been dubbed "Leader" smiled. "Thanks, but if he says Joe can't type I believe him. Well, Joey? Can you type?" he smiled, pulling Joe's hair back.

Joe's stomach growled and he shook his head. "No…" he whispered.

"What was that? Call me sir!" the man demanded, smacking Joe in the face.

Joe winced. "N-no sir," he whispered.

"Wait, wait – wasn't it Frank that won the essay award at his school?"

"Yeah, it was in the paper," the Leader said. "Go get him. NOW. Good thing Fenton's on our side!" he laughed.

_What the hell? _Was Joe's last thought as he blacked out. (1)

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Fenton growled and slammed his fist on the table as Don showed him the pictures. "If I knew where my son was, don't you think I'd yank him out by now?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Don said calmly. He was used to dealing with angry parents, so this was nothing new. "But Fenton –" he was cut off by a low growl from Fenton's throat.

"Call me Mr. Hardy," he growled. Don closed his eyes for ten seconds to regain his composure. What was wrong with Fenton?

"Mr. Hardy –" Don said. "We have reason to believe you are working with the kidnappers."

"What the hell? That's the most ridicules idea I've ever heard!" Fenton spat.

"Then what were you doing using a pay phone at three thirty in the morning?" Alan asked gently.

Don glanced up in surprise. He hadn't expected to find his father here. "Yeah, Mr. Hardy --?" he asked questioningly.

"That's none of your concern," Fenton said. "Listen, just find my boys, okay?" he said, walking towards the door. As he was about to close it, he added, "And then you can leave!"

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Yup, I know everyone's totally AU! I really don't like Fenton in this one. Please read and review.

_Question: What do you think of Don's reaction towards Fenton? Was it justified? _


	16. Chapter 16

Here's the next chapter! There's a big shocker here. Thanks for everyone for sticking with me and please continue to review!

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_two days later_

"_I hate you all! Die and go to hell!_" Fenton screamed as he struggled against Don's handcuffs. He kicked David in the shin before David ducked out of the way. "You don't have the right to arrest me! This isn't your jurisdiction! You don't have a warrant because the one you have is false! What the hell do you think you're doing, _let go of me _you bitch!"

Don shoved Fenton into the police car and closed his eyes. Laura was on the porch very upset. "My husband is a criminal?" she asked Megan, tears streaked down her face. "My husband is _not_ a criminal! You have no proof he kidnapped Charlie!"

Don sighed. Some days he _really_ – wait. They hadn't told Laura about Charlie yet. That could only mean… "Laura, what did you just say?"

She clenched her hands. "I don't have to answer to you! I have the right to a lawyer! You all are bastards, and deserve to go to hell!"

David rubbed his eyes. It was a good thing Alan had gone grocery shopping. After Alan and Don had talked, they'd discovered (through comparison) that the ransom note left for Charlie was in Fenton's handwriting. Fenton's blood was also in the garage around Charlie's blood, and a few other things led up to the suspicion of Fenton. He couldn't believe it.

Fenton banged angrily on the door. "I demand a lawyer!"

_Good god, Dad…_ Don thought. _What nice friends you make…_

"Come on," David said tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "Let's take them down to the station."

"What if Frank and Joe come home, or there's a call?"

"I'll stay," Megan volunteered, glancing at Laura. She lowered her voice. "We don't really have enough proof to arrest Laura yet, so I'll see if I can rip open the guilt bag."

Don chuckled. "You're just saying that so you don't have to put up with super-brain over here."

"Maybe," Megan said with as smile. "Well…" she smiled and went into the house. Laura was now screaming and David groaned.

"Maybe we can arrest her for a noise complaint?" Colby asked, getting into the rental car. Fenton was being taken by the local police force (someone named Chief Collig?) and they were to follow.

_What have I gotten myself into_? Don couldn't help thinking.

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I beg you, please review! Lol! And thanks to everyone who's reading, I'm glad you like it. Just a fyi, I accept unsigned reviews, so even if you don't want to log in it's fine with me. Have a good day!


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for all the kind words.

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"I DEMAND A LAWYER! DO YOU HEAR ME, I KNOW MY RIGHTS! YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR JURISDICTION, EPEES! THAT DAMN WARRANT IS _FALSE, JEWS ARE A BUNCH OF PITY-FACED LIARS!"_

"Now you've gone to far, bitch," Don muttered under his breath. Anyone who mentioned his religion automatically went way down in his book. A thought occurred to him: How did anyone know he was Jewish?

David glanced at Don, his mouth wide open in shock. "_You're_ Jewish?"

Don nodded. He sighed and placed his hands down on the table. "God, I'm really starting to hate Fenton…"

David nodded. "How does he know you're Jewish?"

Colby, David and Megan all leaned on the entire table, expecting an answer when Don tiredly pushed up his shirtsleeve, revealing a nine-inch Star of David, a traditional Jewish mark. (1)

After two minutes of silence, Colby was the first to speak. "Where did you get it?" he asked.

Don glanced at the table and flinched. "You guys remember how I was on fugitive recovery?"

They all nodded. He sighed. "Well, one of the cases went wrong and someone asked me what my religion was, I said I was a Jew and 'did they mind', and then the next thing I know, I woke up on a table and I had blood dripping on my arms."

"He _cut_ it into your arms?" Colby said. He held his hand to his mouth. He thought he might puke.

"Yeah," Don said. He sighed, pushing his shirtsleeve back over it. "The doctor says it will never go away."

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"LET ME GO!" Frank hollered, kicking the man who was holding him. The man tiredly dropped him on the floor near the leader. One of the men – Gwen? – Was still holding a knife to Joe's throat, and Charlie was standing next to him, not moving.

"He's not going to cooperate, Boss."

"Oh, he will." The leader's eyes were planning with a shine of an idea that was coming to him. "Hey, Frankie. You won't do what we need, but would you do it if one of your friends here was tortured?"

"Go… to… hell..." Frank chocked out, "and Joe – is – my – brother."

"Maybe we should torture him first, then," the man snickered. "No, I have a better idea. _You_ choose who we have to torture!"

"N… no, I won't. Leave me alone!" Frank cried and squirmed as the man's hands ran up and down his face.

"I know," the man said. He pointed to Gwen and said, "Get Joseph out of here."

The man nodded, and the man shoved Charlie against the floor. He then twisted Charlie's arm behind his back, causing him to gasp in pain. Frank winced as he heard a slight crack, signaling Charlie's arm was broken.

"Stop, I'll do it, just _stop_," Frank yelled. The man kicked him in the side before bending down low. "_Remember, brother, you didn't want to do it…"_

Frank paled. The man that was talking to him was the man that had kidnapped him the first time. What was going on?

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_I updated! Please read and review! _


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18…

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_Two days later_

"I hurt…" Charlie groaned as he tried to sit up on his bunk. He couldn't and Joe had to help him up. "Do you know where Frank is?" he asked.

Joe shook his head. He closed his eyes tiredly for a minute, trying to think of anything that might help him. "I'm not sure."

"We've come for Charlie," the man said. He smiled as he got the keys out of his pocket. He was wearing a white sweater and Joe was positive he had not seen the man before. At least if he had seen the man, the man had been different somehow.

_But if he had not seen the man then why was the man so familiar? Why did he remind him of someone so much? He just couldn't put his finger on it…_

"Leave Charlie alone," Joe ordered him angrily. "You've hurt him enough."

"He's had two days to recover," the man protested. He had had enough of this guy's bickering and complaining, always wanting what was best, he didn't want any more resistance from this guy. He just wanted him to _shut up_.

However, he couldn't do that right away, he had to punish Charlie.

The man stepped into the cell despite Joe's protest. He gave Joe a _look_ and whispered in his ear, _"If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll make you wish you were dead in a way you never thought was imaginable."_

Joe shuddered as the man cuffed his hands to the cot and turned to Charlie. "Well, now. Where should we begin?" he asked. He picked up his bat and ordered his men to hold Charlie up.

_Whack! Whack! Whack! _The man hit Charlie about twenty different times with the baseball bat before his ribs cracked. Charlie moaned from the pain. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and he gasped in shock.

"L-Larry?" he quivered, very upset about his friend's betrayal. Suddenly, he gave out from under the man's arms.

The man slammed him back down on the mat and turned to Joe, who was handcuffed to the bed. He had decided to take a different, more direct, but not so direct approach with Joe. He ordered his men to leave and started to take off Joe's sweater.

Joe's face paled. He had an idea of what was coming next, and he didn't like it…

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"Do we have a location from Fenton yet?" David asked Don. He was concerned for his friend. Don hadn't slept for almost two days, and he knew he probably wouldn't until Charlie was found.

Don sighed and ran his fingers through his hair "This guy is a freaking lawyer, I mean PI, or whatever the hell you wanna call it, damn it, he knows his freaking stuff way to well. I don't understand – how could this have happened?"

"I stopped by the house," Colby said breathlessly. He held up a stack of paper. "Look at the top one."

_Meet Risked at Ten pm today. If I'm not there, he kills the boys. Remember Risked Lake? _

"Damn," Don swore. "Our deadline just got shorter."

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	19. Chapter 19

"Find Risk Lake," Don muttered. "Find… risked lake?" he sighed as he glanced through all of Fenton's pictures.

"Don!" Colby came running through the room. "Look what I found!"

"Risk Lake – leisure, fun – damn that's a big lake!" Don yelled to no-one in particular. "How are we going to find them?"

"I know," Laura said in a soft voice. Don and Charlie whirled around. "I couldn't believe it when he said he had a location, so I did some digging…" she handed the note to Don, who read it and swore. "Let's go. Now. Laura, come with us – you can show us. Megan, make sure Fenton doesn't get bail!"

"I'm on it," she replied, flipping out her cell phone and dialing. David was in the driver's seat of the car and Don slid into the passenger side, Laura and Colby in the backseat.

Don tossed Colby a radio. "Backup. Now." Colby nodded and did so, and they radioed the location.

"In the park. Turn left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right," Laura instructed, David said, turning wildly every time she did so. Backups had already arrived and were getting ready to enter.

Don shifted his gun to Charlie and turned, nodding. "Let's do this."

The raid had clearly been unexpected. Men were everywhere. Colby arrested five men, and David arrested two.

"Charlie, Joe, Frank!" Don called as he walked down the small hallway. He stared at each door, glancing as he tried to make his decision…

He swung open a door that read "prisoners" to find Frank. "Oh, Frank, thank god…" Don muttered, getting on his hands and knees as he carried Frank. Frank didn't stir as he tried to wake him up. Don sighed as he felt Frank's weight loss and groaned. No sixteen year old should weigh less…

He shook off the thought and ran outside, placing Frank on a cot that had been moved outside by one of the ambulances.

"Frank? Frank, talk to me," Don pleaded. "Please, Frank – open your eyes."

"Mm…" Frank groaned as he shifted. "To tired… Joe goes away."

"Please, Frank. I need you to tell me where Joe is."

"In a room…"

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Don's heart sunk. They'd been through nearly every room and had not found Charlie or Joe. He wanted to find his brother so badly.

"Epees, you should come see this!" One of the officers yelled. His nameplate read Officer Riley.

"What?" Don asked. He raced inside the room, following the agent as he walked through the room.

"Amigo," he said. It all came our as a rush when he saw the mess. "Charlie!" he yelled running to him. "Charlie, are you okay?" he asked as he removed Charlie's handcuffs. Charlie nearly fell down. "Tired, Donny. Want to go home…"

"You'll go home, Charlie…"

"No, you won't," someone said. "Freeze!"

"Larry?" Don said, his mouth agape in shock.

"I believe you and _Charles_ and I have some talking to do," he said with a tight lipped smile on his face. "Poor Charles was so shocked when I didn't call him Charlie. Slipped up once. Blew my cover, so I figure I'll just get in a lot of killing people before I die."

He walked over to Joe's cot and placed his hand on Joe's forehead. "Wow. He's burning up. Let's see…" he swung his gun towards Don, who tried to take a step forward.

Suddenly, his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he fell over. Someone's face was red in the doorway, screaming at someone else, "I thought this room was clear!"

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_Did it confuse you? Stay tuned. The next chappie is the last chappie, and then I'm re-opening my book everybody needs to laugh. Thanks for everyone's reviews, this wasn't my best work… I plan on writing another Numb3rs/Hardy Boys crossover soon… I have an idea in mind…_

_If you want to know ask in a review and I will let you know_

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	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: My final chapter.

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_Six months later_

Don glanced into the living room and glanced back at his father. "You think they're getting along okay?"

"Yeah," Alan said. "They're tough kids." He was referring, of course, to the Hardy boys. After Laura had been arrested and put in prison, along with Fenton, Alan had volunteered to foster the two boys. "They're adjusting," he said. "We all are."

Don nodded. "Charlie's liking it, though. He's glad to have another genius to talk things over with."

Alan grabbed an onion out of the cupboard and nodded. "Frank is really eating up the math stuff, too. Charlie is looking at getting him a full scholarship to Cal Sci."

"Cool," Don said. "Need any help with supper?"

"Nah, I'm good." Alan threw the onion into the soup and stirred. "How is your case going, Don?"

"Good. We caught the perv – what's going on?"

Charlie's car had just pulled into the driveway and the door opened. Amita and Larry were with him.

"Shh," Alan said with a grin. "Surprise."

"Oooh," Don said glancing at the door. "What's the surprise?"

Charlie rushed inside. "I'm ready."

"They're in the living room," Alan replied.

Don thought back over to the case where he had met the Hardy's. It had taken them nearly a month to get Frank out of the hospital, two weeks for Joe. It took Frank two months to get back on his feet and back to school. He had graduated with honors in English and math.

"Alright."

Charlie, Amita and Larry left with the boys. Alan turned to Don and smiled. "I'm going to adopt Frank and Joe."

"What?" Don said, spitting out the piece of celery that was in his mouth. "I'm sorry, that was just unexpected."

"That is, if you don't mind?" Alan asked.

"No, that's no problem," Don said. "So what is Charlie doing?"

"Taking Frank to get his scholarship, but Frank doesn't know it yet."

Don smiled. "I wonder if he'll still choose law school?"

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_Okay, I know this wasn't the best book for me to write, but I tried… I'll just have to do another crossover soon… with a beta._


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